TOUR DE FRANCE: Tearful sprint king Cavendish breaks record for most stage wins by a British cyclist

Mark Cavendish, the Manx Missile, won yesterday's 19th stage of the
Tour de France to set an outright record for wins by a Briton in the
event - and then broke down in tears.

His ninth stage victory overall,
and fifth of this year's race, also left the cycling world in no doubt
that the coveted green points jersey for top sprinter will surely be
his in the future.

But, soon after punching the air with delight as he crossed the
finishing line, the emotional impact of his achievement hit home and
the tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Twelve months ago, Cavendish would have fallen off the back of the
peloton on the slopes of the second category climb of Col d'Escrinet in
the Ardeche area of eastern France, 15 miles from the finish in Aubenas.

Centre stage: Team Columbia rider Mark Cavendish celebrates after beating Thor Hushovd to the line on Stage 19

On Friday he hung on grimly on the incline, rewarding the dedication
of his Columbia-HTC teammates, who had pulled him along, by crossing
the line first again.

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It hardly mattered that the man who came in second was dressed in green and still holds a 25-point advantage over the Manxman.

Belying his acerbic tone at times on this tour, Cavendish graciously
accepted that Thor Hushovd, barring an accident, will deservedly wear
the colour in Paris on Sunday.

Theirs promises to be a rivalry for years to come. What has tipped
the balance this year has been Hushovd's ability to climb to pick up
points at the intermediate sprints dotted along stages, most notably in
his lone attack on Wednesday's gruelling Alpine stage.

Cavendish may be able to shadow the Norwegian in future. For now, he is lost in admiration.

He said: 'After Thor's ride two days ago, no one deserves the green
jersey more than him. OK, I wore the green jersey for a while, but
that's because I was delivered in the best position by the team. He
hasn't been put in the best position.

'It was a beautiful ride by Thor the other day. That was humiliating to me. I said to him, "I can't compete with that".

'He fought for the jersey and he deserves to be in it in Paris. I
got a bit carried away when I was in the race for the green but I'm
going back to the original plan of collecting stage wins now.'

His fifth victory, with the Champs-Elysees still to come tomorrow,
eclipses the four he won last year and confines Barry Hoban's total of
eight to the Tour annals instead of its records page.

In retrospect, Cavendish was grateful for the fierce pace set at the
front of the peloton and the collective determination to reel in a
breakaway group containing fellow Briton David Millar.

What might have been a gentle roll through the fruit fields of the
Drome region, with Mont Ventoux's beastly slopes lying in wait today,
turned into a grinding pursuit. Cavendish might have been a casualty,
dropping back and allowing Hushovd to secure the sprinters' jersey
without needing to worry about the last two stages. Instead, he lived
up to a promise made hours earlier.

Team Columbia-HTC sporting director Rolf Aldag said: 'Mark said on the bus this morning that he would give it a go.

'And when he sets himself a goal you have to shoot him off the bike to stop him from reaching it.'

All lined up: Mark Cavendish takes his fifth stage victory of this year's Tour de France

Yesterday's unexpectedly fast pace - the 111 miles were covered on
two wheels at an average speed of 29mph - could hold uncomfortable
consequences for certain riders on Mont Ventoux.

A 50mph wind is expected to greet the riders on the mountain known
as the 'Giant of Provence' upon which stands the memorial to Britain's
Tommy Simpson, who died on its slopes within sight of the summit in
1967.

Spain's Alberto Contador retained the yellow jersey, and, while
there were no positional changes at the top of the general
classification, Lance Armstrong took four seconds off second-placed
Andy Schleck. Britain's Bradley Wiggins remains fourth.